The present invention relates generally to an electrical connector and, more particularly, to a connector which is engageable with an IC card.
The aforementioned Ohkubo applications disclose an IC memory card and mating socket or connector in which the card has an edge along one of its sides formed with an elongated slot containing a Printed circuit member. The printed circuit member has rows of spaced conductive traces on its upper and lower surfaces along its exposed border. The conductive traces on the opposite sides of the printed circuit member are electrically interconnected to provide a double-sided, single read-out arrangement.
The mating connector disclosed in the aforementioned Ohkubo applications has a single row of contacts therein. The contacts extend upwardly into a channel opening at the upper surface of the connector housing. Each contact has a pair of spring arms which are spaced from the sidewalls of the connector housing. The spring arms diverge forwardly and inwardly to a point where they engage each other, and then are bent outwardly a short distance, forming a V-shaped gap for receiving the edge of the printed circuit member in the card. When the card is inserted into the connector, the sidewalls of the card housing slide into the open region between the contact arms and the connector sidewalls without engaging the contact arms. At the same time, the printed circuit member in the card enters the V-shaped gap formed at the front end of the sPring arms of the contacts, camming the arms apart until the arms ride over the edge of the printed circuit member onto the conductive traces thereon. By this arrangement, the spring arms of each contact are spread apart by the printed circuit member in the card so that the arms are biased into engagement with the conductive traces due to the inherent resilience of the arms.
While the foregoing arrangement is generally satisfactory, on occasion it has some deficiencies. Typically, the printed circuit member used in the aforementioned IC card is a very thin printed circuit board having a glass, epoxy or ceramic substrate which is quite fragile. When such a board is forced between the spring arms of the contacts in the Ohkubo connector, it is possible that the edge of the board may become damaged. Further, regardless of the form of printed circuit member used in the IC card, it is possible that engagement of the spring arms with the edge of the board can cause the conductive traces on the substrate to be peeled off, or delaminated. In addition, if the card utilizes a printed circuit member of any significant thickness and rigidity, it is possible that the edge of the substrate could wear off any plating such as gold, on the spring arms of the contacts when the card is inserted into the connector, therebY causing corrosion of the contacts and eventually a high resistance engagement between the contacts and the conductive traces on the board. Further, the prior art connector is not suitable for a double-sided, double read-out style contact/printed circuit member interface.
What is needed therefore and constitutes the object of the present invention is a connector for an IC card in which the contacts of the connector will not damage the printed circuit member in the card or themselves will not be impaired by the possible scraping of a plating on the contacts by the edge of the printed circuit member, yet the contacts in the connector will have a high engagement force with the conductive races on the printed circuit member.
Another object of the invention is to provide a connector for an IC card which permits a double-sided, double read-out contact/printed circuit member interface